The discovery made by American scientists may be unbearable for passionate believers in the hairy human-like creatures. The legends of Yetis have received an upsetting blow after alleged remains from museums and private collections were found to be abominably fake.

Eight specimens – including bones, teeth, skin, hair and faecal samples – were proven to be unrelated to hairy human-like creatures which were rumoured to be living in remote areas of Nepal and Tibet, as told by legends. Instead, a number of DNA tests conducted by the University of Buffalo in the U.S. showed that the remnants actually belonged to bears and a dog.

Lead scientist in the research, Dr Charlotte Lindqvist said, “Our findings strongly suggest that the biological underpinnings of the Yeti legend can be found in local bears, and our study demonstrates that genetics should be able to unravel other, similar mysteries. Clearly, a big part of the Yeti legend has to do with bears.”

The study, published in the journal Proceedings Of The Royal Society Biological Science, showed that Asian brown bears, Himalayan brown bears and Tibetan brown bears had all played their part in the Yeti myth. One sample studied by the team consisted of a preserved scrap of skin from the hand or paw of a Yeti, which turned out to be from an Asian black bear.